Chapter 10 Technology and Information Competency

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Technology and Academics Technology has revolutionized academic life –Course websites –Textbook CD-ROMs –Companion websites –Instructor podcasts and blogs –Wikis –Classroom presentation programs such as PowerPoint –Individual response technology 10-2

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Using the Internet and the Web The World Wide Web –A graphical means of locating and accessing information on the internet The Internet –The electronic network that connects millions of computers together –Common uses include: Text and instant messaging Newsgroups and Listservs RSS feeds 10-3

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Using Effectively Certain providers enable users to access their from anywhere in the world Some schools require students to have an account –Check this account regularly –Have your mail from this account forwarded to your regular account or vice versa 10-4

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Writing Effective Messages Use an informative subject heading Make sure the recipient knows who you are Keep messages short and focused Include only one major topic per Put requests near the beginning of the Keep attachments to a minimum Avoid abbreviations and emoticons in formal s 10-5

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Netiquette: Civility on the Web Don’t write anything in an or text that you wouldn’t want everyone to see Be careful of the tone you convey Never write anything in an or text that you wouldn’t say in person Don’t use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS Never send an or text when you are angry Be especially polite and professional when ing instructors 10-6

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Classroom Netiquette Turn off your cell phone Don’t send texts or make calls during class Stay on task, and not on Facebook, when taking notes on a laptop Don’t use headphones connected to your computer It’s still cheating, and therefore wrong, to text or receive answers to problems in class 10-7

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Spam Management and Safety Tips for dealing with spam: –Consider using two addresses (one for personal and another one for newsgroups and chat rooms) –Don’t use anything close to your name for a user name or screen name –Never give out your password and change it frequently 10-8

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Spam Management and Safety Never respond to s that ask for personal information Do not click on any links in an until you are sure the is from a legitimate source Never open an attachment from someone you don’t know Be cautious with social networking sites 10-9

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Spam Management and Safety Keeping safe –Don’t give out personal information –Never send photos of yourself or family members to someone you don’t know –Don’t reply to s that are offensive or weird –Don’t arrange to meet someone you’ve only met on the web –If problems do arise, contact your campus or local police 10-10

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Distance Learning: Advantages Distance learning courses offer tremendous convenience May be more flexible than brick and mortar classes Distance learning classes may be self-paced Contact with instructor may be greater Shy students may find writing their responses easier than speaking them in front of a class You can become a better writer 10-11

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Distance Learning: Disadvantages You are a prisoner of technology You won’t have face-to-face contact with your instructor or classmates You won’t get immediate feedback You need to have discipline, personal responsibility and time management skills 10-12

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Distance Learning – Prepare Identifying distance learning course possibilities –Check your college –Do an internet search –Make sure your college will give you credit for the course –Consider if the course requirements will fit in your schedule –Get feedback from other students who have taken the course, if possible 10-13

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Distance Learning – Organize Obtaining access to technology –You will need basic skills and an account –Brush up on your computer skills before taking an online course –You will need regular access to a computer with internet access 10-14

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Distance Learning – Work Skill set for online courses are very different from traditional courses –Manage your time carefully –Check-in frequently –Find an online partner –Make copies of everything –Have a technology backup plan 10-15

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Distance Learning – Evaluate, Rethink Evaluate – Considering your “classroom” performance –Feedback comes from your instructor and classmates –Ensure your feedback to your classmates is polite Rethink – Reflecting on what and how you have learned –Is distance learning for you? –Have you learned the objectives of the course? Have you learned as much as you think you would have in a traditional course? 10-16

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Developing Information Competency Information competency is crucial –The ability to determine what information is needed, where to get it and effectively use it Libraries –Periodicals –Indexes and online databases –Encyclopedias –Government documents –Musical scores –Reserve collections –Use an interlibrary loan, if necessary 10-17

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Finding Information on the Web 10-18

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Finding Information on the Web There is a great deal of information available on the web…and disinformation Browsers – a way of looking at information on the web (Microsoft Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc) URL – identifies a unique location on the web Web pages – a document that presents you with information Links – embedded in web pages that take you to other locations on the web Search engine – a computerized index of information available on the internet (Yahoo, Google, etc) 10-19

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Finding Information on the Web Search tips –Type your search in the form of a question –Identify the important words in the question as well as synonyms –Go to your search engine and type in 2 or 3 words from your list –Open a new window and type in a new search using different terms –Compare results and find similarities –Determine if you have found the answer you’re looking for –Resist the temptation to cut and paste the information you found directly into your work 10-20

© 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill Evaluating Information from the Web How authoritative is the information? –Remember, anyone can publish anything, whether it is correct or not How current is the information? How well are claims documented? Is anything missing? Utilize your college’s librarian as they are masters at information management and technology 10-21